Gauchos Beat Pepperdine 6-5 In Make-Up Game Monday Afternoon

Sophomore Michael Martin remained perfect for the season as the UC Santa Barbara baseball team upended Pepperdine 6-5 Monday afternoon at Eddy D. Field Stadium. The game, which improves UCSB's record to 6-4, was played as a make-up of Saturday's rained out contest.

The Gauchos scattered ten hits against three Waves pitchers and scored in five different innings during the two-hour, fifty-seven minute game. UCSB capitalized on three Pepperdine errors and four wild pitches, scoring only two of its runs via RBI base-hits.

One of those RBI came from junior second baseman Chris Malec, who, with a 2-for-5 performance, posted his third multi-hit game of the young campaign. Malec also scored a run.

Martin (3-0) tossed five effective innings, allowing two earned runs on seven hits while striking out one. The right-hander's ERA is an impressive 1.40 after three starts. Junior Nate Holguin, in his fourth appearance of the year, pitched the six through the eighth innings, surrendering just one run on three hits. With the effort, Holguin solidified his spot as UCSB's Saturday starter this upcoming weekend against Fresno State. Despite giving up two runs in the ninth, senior closer Aaron Jones recorded his fourth save of the year.

The Gauchos got on board early in the second when first baseman Bill Rowe scored on the first of Pepperdine starter Kea Kometani's three wild pitches. Rowe had reached on a double and advanced to third on a Taylor Vogt ground out. The base knock extended Rowe's career high hitting streak to ten games. The sophomore has recorded at least one hit in every game this season and leads the team with 15.

UCSB scored again in the third when Malec drove in center fielder Brian Adams and then in the fifth when Adams scored again when Malec reached on second baseman David Uribes' fielding error. Adams finished 2-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored.

Senior third baseman Nate Sutton plated the Gauchos' fifth run in the seventh inning when he scored on Kometani's third and final wild pitch of the game. Later in the inning Malec came around to score after singling and rounding the bases on reliever Mike Craig's wild pitch and Uribes's second error of the game.

Pepperdine third baseman Patrick Rooney led the charge for the Waves gathering three hits in five at-bats while collecting three RBI and scoring a run.

The Waves fall to 2-4 with the loss.

The two squads have agreed to make-up Sunday's postponed game on Tuesday, May 11, at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium. The contest is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start.

This weekend the Gauchos will play host to the visiting Fresno State Bulldogs with games on Friday (2 p.m.), Saturday and Sunday (both 1 p.m.).